Repeated surgical embryo recovery and embryo production in rabbits

The purpose of this study was to assess the embryo production after repeate d surgical recovery of embryos in Gigante de Espana does. A total of 195 ov ulatory treatments and embryo recoveries were performed from 1995 to 1999, Ovulation was induced by an intramuscular injection of 20 mug GnRH immediat ely after mating. Each doe was induced to ovulate up to four consecutive ti mes at intervals of at least 50 days. Embryos were surgically collected fro m oviducts 68-69 h post-coitus. An average of 8.6 corpora lutea and 6.4 rec overed embryos (90% of them classified as viable) were recorded from the 19 5 treatments. The process seemed to be less efficient in the fourth treatme nt, with a drop of more than two recovered and viable morulae with referenc e to the third (P < 0.05 for both parameters) or the second recovery (P < 0 .1 and P < 0.05, respectively). More than 20 recovered embryos and 18 viabl e embryos per donor doe were recorded considering the three first ovulatory treatments performed in 33% of the does (30/90). Results indicate that the methodology used in the present study could be an efficient way to maximiz e in vivo embryo production from rabbits. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.